Car-door.



Patented Aug. 22, |899.v

J. lNt BARR.

GAR DOOR.

(Application filed July 15,l 1898.)

' (N0 Model.)

721/622 502; @7a-w .AL/fari;

Patented Aug, -22, |899. J. N. B'ARR.

GAB DOOR.

(Application filed July 15, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Shut 2.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATEsy 'PATENT Fries.

JACOB N. BARR, oF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

'CAR-DOOR.

sPEcIF'IcATI'N forming partof Letters :Patent No. 631,496, dated August 22, 1899.

, Appiitation fuga iulyi, 1398. serai No. 686,056. (No man.)

T a/ZZ whom, t pta/y concern.: y Be it known that I, JACOB N. BARR, a citirien of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inOar-Doors, (Oase 2,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to doors, and particularly to doors for cars; and it consists in certain improvements whereby the door-opening is more completely closed against storm, sparks, and einders.

Another object of my invention is to provide a door which fully frees itself1 from the side of the structure which it incloses by an outward movement of the door bodily before the door-opening is fully uncovered. y

Another object ofmy invention is to provide a door which is removed far enough from the sides of the structure which it inclosesto permit it to slide along the side of the incloasure without coming in contact with the side.

when the door is warped or the side of the in closed structure is bulged outward.

Y Still another object of my'invention is to provide a door acting as above without com-4 plication of joints, levers, and retaining parts, which are liable to get out of order and which are expensive to maintain in proper working condition. v

My invention I will describe as applied to a freight-car; but it will be obvious that its application to other structures can readily be made, and my invention is not limited in its application to cars.

In the doors of vfreight-cars as heretofore constructed it has been difficult to provide means for sliding` the doors when the freight within the car has caused the sides of the car to bulge outward or when the door itself has become warped by use or by exposure to the weather. In order to allow freedom sufficient to permit the movement of the door freely, it has heretofore frequently been necessary to leave a margin between the door and the sides of the car which would permit access of rain and cinders. The diiliculties above referred companies to use, and many attempts havebeen made to overcome these difficulties. ,g

I will describe my invention by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-y Figure 1 is a front view of the car-door in i a closed position. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View of the car-door on line 2 2, Fig. l, with the door in itsclosed position. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the car-door on line 3 3, Fig. 1,with the door in its open position. Fig. 4 is aside vie'w of the shoe which supports the car-door, partly in section, and of the lock in place therein. Fig. 5 is a front view of thesame part shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively side and rear views of the These cleatsprotect the space, whatever it may be, between the sides of the car-door and the car, sothat sparks or rain cannot gain access to the interior of the car. The door is vsupported upon the shoes Z) b, which rest upon the railc and are adapted to slide thereon parallel with the side of the car. The rail is supported upon the brackets c c and only a part of its length is shown, it being understood that it would belong enough to permit the door to be carried upon it, so as to fully uncover the opening in the side of the car. A sheet-iron strip d extends along the top of the door and is attached to the car so as to serve as a guide and prevent the door from falling outward, the portion d extending below the top of the door in its upper or lower position and acting as a guard.

In Fig. 2, which shows the door ct in its closed and locked position, there is shown a` l groove e, in which 'the top ofthe door rests in its closed position. I preferably make a chamfer e in the timber forming the groove,

loo

so as readily to permit the tilting ofthe door outward in a manner which I will later describe.

In the closed position of the door the shoes l; l) hold the door close against the side of the car; but in the initial movement of the door to open the same the shoes,which are attached to the bottom of the door,are permitted to move downward and outward, and the top of the door also tilts outward, so that before the door is moved upon the rail along the side of the car it reaches the position shown in Fig. 3, in which it is bodily moved outward from its seat to a position which will enable it to slide past the cleats and also to enable it to pass freely along the car side even when the sides of the car may be bulged outward by the inclosed freight. I have found in practice that a movement of two inches outward of the door is sufficient to secure satisfactory results with the construction herein described, although a less initial movement may be satisfactory under certain conditions and a greater movement may be required under certain other conditions.

In order to permit the entrance of the top of the door into the groove e, I may cut away a portion of the timber c2, which forms the groove above the central portion of the opening which the door is to cover. Then if the door becomes bulged at its center it will still enter the grooves and be held firmly in place in its closed position.

Figs. 4t, 5, 6, 7, and 8 represent one form of shoe and lock which I have adopted, in which the latter is separate from the shoe and moves therein, and this construction I will now proceed to describe.

The shoe b is provided with a latch or catch f, which in the position shown in Fig. l prevents any outward movement ofthe door from the closed position by the engagement of the projection f', which drops below the upper edge of the rail c. This catch fcan be raised by pressing upward against it at the point f2, which raises the projection j above the upper edge of the rail. Vhen the catchfis thus raised, the lower part of the door d is free to move outward into the position shown in Fig. 3, While the top of the door drops down out of the groove e and rests against the strip d. I have shown in Fig. 4 in dotted lines the position of the catch fwhen it is raised to permit the downward and outward motion of the shoe b. It will be seen that the shoe b has a horizontal portion b', an incline 112, and another horizontal portion b3 and that the catch f is provided with similar horizontal and inclined faces. The horizontal portion of the catch, which rests upon the top of the rail when the car-door is closed, however, is within a recess formed by the projection f, and before the shoe can be released the catch must be raised to allow the projection f to pass over the top of the rail, when the cardoor slides down the incline h2 of the shoe and finally rests upon the horizontal portion h3 of the shoe, being prevented from passing over the rail by the downwardly-projecting part of the shoe b4. The catch f is provided with a holef, which registers with a hole c2 in the rail when the door is closed to permit the admission of a wire for sealing the door. In Figs. G and 7 the catch is shown detached from the shoe, and Fig. 8 is a section on line .at .fr of Fig. 5.

Figs. 9 and l0 represent modifications of the shoe and catch of my invention, in which the catch is made aportion of the shoe. The catch f in this case is eccentrically and rotatably mounted upon the pivot p. In this construction I preferably provide a projection b5 upon the shoe itself, which will engage the rail when the dooris in its closed position, and by means of the eccentric the wholedooris raised slightly by the rotation of the catch f, so as to permit the outward and downward movement of the shoe upon its inclined surface b2. I provide also a lip f, which engages with the rail c. The lever f5, by means of which the rotary movement is given to the cam-formed latch j", is provided with an opening f3, which reg'- isters with the opening c3 in the rail to permit the sealing of the door in its closed position. I preferably so construct the door that the top will tilt outward by gravitation when the downward and outward movementis given to the bottom of the door.

The operation of the door of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description. To open the door, the latches ff are raised, being thereby disengaged from the rail, and a pull upon the bottom of the door in an outward direction brings the door downward and outward on the inclined face of the shoe until the portion b3 of the shoe rests upon the rail. At the same time the top of the door moves downward and outward and the door assumes the position shown in Fig. 3, when it is free to move easily along the rail and behind the strip cl without strik ing the cleats or binding against the side of the car. To close the door, it is pushed along until it is in front of the opening which it is to cover. A pressure is then exerted against the door some distance above the lower edge. This causes the top of the door to tip inward until it registers with the groove c. A further pressure at the lower edge of the door forces it inward and upward uponv the inclined surfaces of the shoe, bearing upon the rail until the door reaches the position shown in Fig. 2. The catch f then drops down and holds the door firmly in place. Vith the modifications shown in Figs. 9 and 10 the arm f5 is rotated to the position shown in both figures, when the shoe is in position to permit the outward and downward movement of the bottom of the car-door in the same way already described. When the door is to be closed, an inward pressure is exerted, first at the top of the door to tilt the door into a position so that the top will engage with the groove e. A further pressure on the bottom of the door pushes it inward and at the same time raises it, when the arm f is rocked IOO IIO

IIS1

made flush with the side of the car.

'into position so that tlievlip f4 engages with the rail c and the h'ole fg-in the arm registers with the hole c2 in the rail. Y-

The recess or groove that I have provided upon the front face of the door-frame and at its upper portion is adapted by its shape to receive the top of the door and to secure the top portion of the door close to the doorframe to close the doorway or in a position removed from the door-frame when the lower portion of the doorhas been moved outwardly and downwardly. To accomplish this result, the lower and outward edge of the recess or groove is extended horizontallyy outward a lsuiticient distance to permit the required outward movement of the door when in its lowered position and then vertically downward 4to stop the edge of the door in its outward the side of the car when the lower portion of the door is moved outwardly and downwardly and the upper portion of the door is tilted toward the car, whereby the upper portion of the door is, through the agency of gravity,

moved outwardly and into engagement with the rail or strip d, which preferably acts as the sole guide for the upper portion of the door. The inclines b2 upon the shoes form a downwardly and outwardly engaging surface at the lower edge of the door, the horizontal surfaces b b3 lying in different planes, the horizontal surface b3 nearer the door-frame being above the horizontal surface b', whereby the door may be supported close to the doorframe when it is elevated and away from the door-frame when the door is lowered. I do not wish to be limited to the employment of the rail for securing the door in its elevated position.

Instead of having the entire groove c disposed upon the exterior of the car the inner and uppermost part of the groove may be extended within the doorway and located between the side margins thereof, as shown,

whereby when the door is elevated and moved into its closed position it is disposed between the side margins of the doorway and may be With this construction the lower and outermost part of the groove e is extended longitudinally beyond vthe doorway to act as a guide to the door in its travel. be limited to this feature, as I consider it to be broadly new with me to provide a groove at the upper portion of the doorway and mak- I do not wish, however, to.

ing the inner portion of thegroove extend above the ou ter portion thereof, so constructing the groove that it is capable of engaging thedoor to secure it in its elevated and closed position or in its lowered and unclosed position, and in extending the lower outer part of said groove longitudinally beyond the doorway to retain the top portion of the door in its lower and outermost position in its horizontal travel. By so constructing the groove that it may cooperate with the door in the manner pointed out no additional mechanism need be provided at the top of the door for controlling the position of the upper portion thereof and in compelling the movement of the door toward the doorway upon the elevation of the door.

I am aware that car-doors `have been so mounted as to have an inner and upward movement and an outer and downward movement, to eect and control which, however, auxiliary mechanical devices have to be employed at the upper portion of the door, which devices I am enabled to dispense with by constructing the groove as shown and described.

Moreover, by providing fixed bearing devicesv affording two points of support for the door at different levels and at different distances from the car, as described, which devices are capable of permitting the door to have free movement transverse to the car, all of the desired movements of the door may be accomplished without the aid of any lever or screw mechanism whatsoever.

I am aware that sliding car-doors have vbeen provided at their bottom portions with surfaces inclining downward toward the car; but such means only serve to aid in keeping the door closed and do not aid in keeping the door open. My supporting devices by being placed as shown and described aid in keeping the door open or shut, as the case may be.

I do not wish it to be understood that my invention is limited to the precise form and detail of construction shown herein. It is susceptible lof many modifications which are within the spirit of the broad invention described. ,-I believe I am the'first one to construct a door which is adapted to be held firmly seated in its closed position, butwhich is initially moved bodily outward away from its seat before the opening which it is intended to cover is disclosed by sliding along a rail parallel with the side of the inclosed structure. It is this invention which I desire to cover, not only in the specific embodiment shown and described herein, but in all its equivalent modifications, in the 'following claims.

l. The combination with a shoe for a door, of a rail upon which said shoe is adapted to rest and to slide, a latch adapted to hold said shoe in engagement with said rail when the door is closed and to permitan outward movement of said door, the rail being provided IIO with a hole for providing a locking engagement between the latch and the rail, substantially as described.

2. rlhe combination with a door a, of cleats a a', of a groove e adapted to receive the top of said door, the shoes b attached to the bottom of said door, the rail c upon which said shoes are adapted to rest and to slide, the latch f adapted to hold the shoes in engagemen't with said rail and to permit a downwardand-outward movement thereof preparatory to sliding the door away from said opening.

3. The combination with a door-frame, of a vertically-movable sliding door, a groove being provided at the upper portion of the door, said groove being higher nearer the doorway and lower away from the doorway, the outer wall or portion d of the groove extending below the top of the door in its lowered position, said groove being thus adapted to engage and secure the top of the door close to the doorway when the door is elevated, and to permit it to move away from the doorway when the door is lowered, means for supporting the door in its elevated or lowered position, and means for guiding the door in its horizontal travel when lowered, substantially as described.

4f.. The combination with a door-frame, of a vertically-movable sliding door, a groove being provided at the upper portion of the doorway and being higher nearer the doorway and lower away from the doorway, the outer wall or portion d of the said groove extending below the top of the door in its lower position, said groove being thus adapted to engage and secure the top of the door close to the doorway when the door is elevated and away from the doorway when the door is lowered, and serving to compel the movement of the door, when elevated, toward the doorway, all without the aid of auxiliary devices, the outer and lower portion of said groove being extended longitudinally of the doorway beyond the same to retain the top portion of the door in its lower outermost position in its horizontal travel, means for supporting the door in its elevated or lower position, and means for guiding the door in its horizontal travel when lowered, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a door-frame, of a vertically-movable sliding door, a groove being provided at the upper portion ofthe doorway and being higher nearer the doorway and lower away from the doorway, the outer wall or portion d of the said groove extending below the top of the door in its lower position, the inner and upper portion of said groove being disposed between the side margins of the doorway, whereby the door may be closed iush, said groove being thus adapted to en gage and secure the top of the door close to the doorway when the door is elevated and away from the doorway when the door is lowered, and serving to compel the movement of the door, when elevated, toward the doorway, all without the aid of auxiliary devices, means for supporting the door in its elevated or lower position, and means for guiding the door in its horizontal travel, when lowered, substantially as described.

G. The combination with a door-frame, of a vertically-movable sliding door, a groove being provided at the upper portion of the doorway and being higher nearer the doorway and lower away from the doorway, the outer wall or portion d of the said groove extending below the top of the door in its lower position, the inner and upper portion of said groove being disposed between the side margins ot' the doorway, whereby the door may be closed Hush, said groove being thus adapted to engage and secure the top of the door close to the doorway when the door is elevated and away from the doorway when the door is lowered, and serving to compel the movement of the door, when elevated, toward the doorway, all without the aid of auxiliary devices, the outer and lower portion of said groove being extended longitudinally of the doorway beyond the same to retain the top portion of the door in its lower outermost position in its horizontal travel, means for supporting the door in its elevated or lower position, and means for guiding the door in its horizontal travel, when lowered, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a door-frame, of a vertically-movable sliding door, a groove being provided at theaipper portion of the doorway and being higher nearer the doorway and lower away from the doorway, the outer wall or portion d of the said groove extending below the top of the door in its lower' position, said groove being thus adapted to engage and secure the top of the door close to the doorway when the door is elevated and away from the doorway when the door is lowered, and serving'to compel the movement of the door, when elevated, toward the doorway, all without the aid of auxiliary devices, bearing devices affording two points of support for the lowerl part of the door at different levels and at different distances from the door-opening, the inner point of support being at the higher level and affording an unobstructed path of travel for the door transverse to the frame to its lower outer point of support, and means for guiding the door in its longitudinal travel after it has been moved downwardly and outwardly, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a door-frame, of a vertically-movable sliding door, a groove being provided at the upper portion of the doorway and being higher nearer the doorway and lower away from the doorway, the outer wall or portion d of the said groove extending below the top of the door in its lower position, said groove being thus adapted to engage and secure the top of the door close to the doorway when the door is elevated and away from the doorway when the door is lowered, and serving to compel the movement of the door, when elevated, toward the doorway, all with- IOO IIO

out the aid of auxiliary devices, the outer and lower portion ofusaid groove being extended longitudinally'of the doorway beyond the same to retain the top portion of the door in its lower outermost position in its horizontal travel, bearing devices Vaordiug two points of support for the lower part of the door at different levels and at different distances from the door-opening, the inner point of supportv being at the higher level and' aording an unobstructed path of travel for the door transverse to the frame to its lower outer pointof support, and means for guiding the door in its longitudinal travel after it has been moved downwardly and outwardly, substantially as described.

9. The combination'with a door-frame, of a vertically-movable sliding door, a groove being provided at the upper portion of the doorway and being higher nearer the doorway and lower away from the doorway, the outer wall or portion d of the said groove extending below the top of the door in its lower position, said groove being thus adapted to engage and secure the top of the door close to the doorway when the door is elevated and away from the doorway when the door is lowered, and serving Vto compel the movementof the door, when elevated,toward the doorway, all without the aid of auxiliary devices, the outer and lower portion. of said groove being extended longitudinally of the doorway beyond the same to retain the top portion of the door in its lower outermost position in its horizontal travel, bearing devices aording two points of support for the lower part of the door at different levels and at different distances from the door-opening, the inner point of support being at the higher level and aiording an unobstructed path of travel for the door transverse to the frame to its lower outer point of support, means for guiding the door in its longitudinal travel after it has been moved downwardly and outwardly, and a rail upon which the door is adapted to travel, substantially as described.

l0. The combination with adoor-frame, ofa vertically-movable sliding door, a groove being provided at the upper portion of the doorway and being higher nearer the doorway and lower away from the doorway, the outer wall or portion dof the said groove extending below the top of the door in its lower position, said groove being thus adapted to engage and secure the top of the door close to the doorway when the door is elevated and away from the doorway when the door is lowered, and serving to compel the movement of the door, when elevated, toward the doorway, all without the aid of auxiliary devices, the outer and lower portion of said groove being extended longitudinally of the doorway beyond the same to retain the top portion of the door in its lower outermost position in its horizontal travel, fixed bearing devices upon the lower part of the door affording two points of support for the lower part of the door at diierent levels and at different distances from the door-opening, the inner point of. support being at the higher level and affording an unobstructed path of travel for the door transverse tothe frame to its lower outer point of support, lneans for guiding the doorin its longitudinal travel after it has been moved down- "wardly and outwardly, and a rail upon which the door is adapted to travel and with which vthe supporting devices are adapted for eni gagement, substantially as described.

11. The combination with a door-frame, of a 'vertically-movable sliding door, a groove being provided at the upper portion of the doorway and being higher nearer the doorway and lower away from the doorway, the outer wall or portion d of the said groove extending below the top of the door in its lower position, said groove being thus adapted to engage and secure the top ot' the door close to the doorway when the door is elevated and awayfrom the doorway when th'e door is lowered, and serving -to compel the movement of the door, when elevated, toward the doorway, all without the aid of auxiliary devices, the outer and lower portion of said groove being extended longitudinally of the doorway beyond the same to retain the top portion of the door in its lower outermost position in its horizontal travel, fixed bearing devices upon the lower part of the door affording two points of support for the lower part of the door at different levels and at different distances from the door-opening, the inner point of support heing 'at the higher level and aiording an unobstructed path of travel for the door transverse to the frame to its lower outer point f support, means for guiding the door in its lon- IOO gitudinal travel after it has been moved downwardly and outwardly, and a rail upon which the door is adapted to travel and with which the supporting devices are adapted for engagement, an inclined surface being interposed between said points of support, substantially as described.

l2. The combination withadoor-frame, of a vertically-movable sliding door, a groove being provided at the upper portion of the doorway and being higher nearer the doorway and lower away from the doorway, the outer wall or portion d of the said groove extending below the top of the door in its lower position, said groove being thus adapted to engage and secure the top of the door close to the door- IIO way when the door is elevated and away from v mitting of the free inward-and-upward and outward-and-downward movement ol' the lower portion of the door.` and means for guiding the door in its horizontal travel when lowered, substantially as described.

13. In a door, the combination with a doorframe, of a vertically-movable door, iixed bearing devices upon the door, the inner device being located nearer the car and above the other, whereby when the door is elevated it may be maintained close to the car-body and when lowered it maybe supported away from the car-body, said fixed bearing devices affordinga free path for the travel of the lower JACOB N. BARR.

'Vitnesses:

CHARLES A. BROWN, D. W. C. TANNER. 

